


Undead Origins IV

by Whiskey_With_Patron



Series: Undead Origins [4]
Category: Hollywood Undead (Band)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-05-14 23:05:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19283038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whiskey_With_Patron/pseuds/Whiskey_With_Patron
Summary: In this fourth story in the fan-made Undead Origins series, the members of Hollywood Undead have failed in their attempt to take down Councilman Book and fled to the other side of the city. Book's employees and security guards have been tracking them for the past couple weeks, and they can't even get close to Book with all these people chasing them. Book has gained control over almost every place in Los Angeles, and nowhere in the city is safe. Every time they think they've found somewhere to stay, Book's guards find them and they have to run. But when one of them is hurt, they have to find a safe place to hide before Book finds them again.





	Undead Origins IV

**Author's Note:**

> okay so the synopsis sucks and the story is WAY longer than I intended it to be so I apologize in advance for the absolute shitstorm you're about to read. seriously i didn't want it to be almost 10k words but here we are

Los Angeles can be a very dangerous place. Muggers and gangs roam the streets at night, and it's not that much better during the day.

You wouldn't think being out in Los Angeles would be dangerous for five strong guys armed with various weapons. In fact, you might assume they were a gang themselves if you saw them. However, for these five men, being outside couldn't be more risky.

 

Danny walked up to the window of their motel room and moved the curtain so he could look outside.

"See anyone?" Charlie's Scene asked behind him.

Danny let the curtain fall back into place. "Nope. I think we're good." He turned to Charlie. "You heard from J-Dog and Johnny yet?"

"Texted me a couple minutes ago," Charlie said. "They should be back soon."

The guys had been away from their homes for about a week, and this was their third motel. Councilman Book's people had found them a couple times already. They had gotten a room on the second floor this time, far from the main doors and low enough to the ground that they could escape right from the landing outside if needed. J-Dog and Johnny 3 Tears had gone out to buy food, and Danny and Charlie (and Charlie's parrot) were waiting for them to return. They didn't want to split up, as Funny Man was recovering from a concussion and a gunshot wound and couldn't move very well. They weren't about to leave him in the room alone. They weren't sure if he would survive. The bullet hadn't gone through, so it was still lodged somewhere in his torso. He refused to go to a doctor since they couldn't afford a hospital bill, but they weren't sure how long they could let him deny medical attention before he got worse.

Charlie grabbed a beer from the mini-fridge and cracked it open. "Want one?"

Danny nodded. Charlie grabbed another beer and tossed it to him. "I'll go find them if they don't come back," Charlie said.

The door to the bathroom swung open and Funny Man walked out. He sat down on one of the beds as he rubbed a towel on his wet hair.

Danny sat up and looked at Funny. "You okay?"

Funny tossed the towel aside and grimaced as he leaned back against the headboard. "Fine," he mumbled. He covered his face with his hands. "Can we turn down the lights?"

Danny reached over and flicked off the lamp on the nightstand between the beds. He shared a concerned look with Charlie. Funny's concussion was still being persistent with the headaches, and his wound wasn't going to get any better as long as the bullet was still in.

The door swung open and J-Dog and Johnny walked in, each one carrying a grocery bag. "How's it going?" J-Dog asked.

Danny shrugged. "Well, we're not dead. That's about as good as it gets."

Johnny set his bag on the bed next to Funny. "Got you some painkillers."

"Thanks," Funny muttered. He still hadn't uncovered his eyes.

J-Dog opened the mini-fridge and tossed his bag in next to the beer. "We might have seen a couple of Book's guards at the store. Should we leave now before they find us, or risk staying a while longer?"

"We're already paying for tonight," Danny pointed out. "Might as well stay until tomorrow."

Charlie drained the rest of his beer. "I call dibs on the bed."

 

Johnny leaned against the railing on the landing that lined the second floor of the motel. He sighed as he cracked open a can of beer. The other guys were back in the room, trying to sleep. Charlie and J-Dog were sharing a bed, and Danny had piled a bunch of blankets on the floor. They gave Funny Man a bed all to his own. He could barely sleep because of his headaches and the pain in his side, and when he did sleep, he couldn't stop flailing and squirming. Johnny had volunteered to stay awake and keep watch for Book's security guards. 

They were staying on the side of the city that was furthest away from Book Industries, but even around here they could easily pick out the people who had gone through the process that turned them into mindless zombies. There were very few people who hadn't heard of Book and the behavioral modification procedure he'd advertised over a month ago. Everyone who knew about it had either done the procedure or was aggressively against it. Johnny knew that there were other people fighting against Book, but how many? The amount of people who supported Book seemed to have doubled over the past month, due to all the new pop stars endorsing his corporation. Were there enough people opposing Book that they could gather them up and storm Book Industries again?

Johnny heard the door open behind him and turned around. Danny walked out, a case of beer in one hand, and leaned on the railing next to Johnny. He took a bottle of beer and opened it. "Can't sleep?" he asked.

Johnny shook his head. "No."

"Me neither." Danny took a swig of beer. "Hard for me to sleep in places other than my apartment."

Johnny sighed and stared out at the nearly empty parking lot. "This fucking sucks."

Danny snorted. "No shit, Sherlock. This is the _worst_. We're all the way across the city with a bunch of Book's employees on our asses, and we can't even go home because there are more of them waiting for us at our apartments."

Johnny finished off his beer. "I am _so_ tempted to just run into Book Industries and beat up everyone in there."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "They would kill you."

"Only if I let them."

Danny rolled his eyes and handed Johnny another beer. "Okay, tough guy. You can go to bed if you want. I can't sleep anyway."

"No," Johnny said. "You kept watch last night. You should at least try to sleep."

"You sure?"

Johnny shrugged. "Yeah. Leave the beer, though."

Danny set the case of beer on the ground next to Johnny. "Goodnight then." He turned and walked back into the room.

 

The guys awoke to the sound of yelling outside. Charlie groggily sat up in bed. "The fuck is happening?"

Charlie's parrot screeched from where it was sitting on the windowsill. "Wake up!"

J-Dog sat up and glared at Charlie. "I'm not sharing a bed with you again. You take up all the room."

"Yeah, well _you_ steal all the blankets!" Charlie shot back.

"I do not!" 

"Yeah, you do," Danny mumbled from his spot on the floor.

Charlie stood up and grabbed his snapback off the bedside table. "Johnny still out there?"

J-Dog grabbed at the hat in Charlie's hands. "That's mine."

"No it's not."

"Mine has the basketball on it! Yours is the Lakers hat!"

"They're _both_ Lakers hats!"

Funny Man grabbed a pillow and threw it in their general direction without sitting up. "Shut the fuck up!"

Charlie shoved his hat on his head. "Is Johnny still outside?" he repeated.

Danny sat up and peeked through the curtains. "Yep."

Charlie's parrot hopped onto his shoulder as he walked to the door. "Hope he didn't get into a fight with someone."

Danny followed Charlie outside, and J-Dog reluctantly dragged himself out of bed to go after them. He put on his snapback and went out onto the landing.

The yelling got louder as soon as he stepped outside. Johnny was leaning against the railing and watching something down in the parking lot. Charlie and Danny had joined him. "What's happening?" J-Dog asked as he came up next to them. 

A group of people were gathered in the parking lot, shouting and waving cardboard signs. The motel's receptionist and a lady who might have been the manager stood near the edge of the lot, trying to yell over the crowd. J-Dog was surprised to see that most of the people carrying signs were wearing masks. Some only had goalie masks with paint or duct tape on them, but others looked more professionally made. A few people had bandannas, some had masquerade-ish eye masks, and a few just had surgical masks they had painted with various colours.

"What's all this about?" Charlie asked.

"They're protesters," Johnny said. "Apparently the motel manager stopped letting in people who haven't gone through Book's process, and these guys came in a while ago with signs."

"What's with the masks?" Danny wondered.

Johnny shrugged. "Not sure."

Charlie leaned over the railing and squinted. "Wait- is that my neighbor?" He waved his hand. "Hey! Tracey!"

A lady in a black eye mask and leather jacket stopped shouting and looked up. "Charlie?" She rested her sign on her shoulder and walked up to them. "What are you doing here?"

"Mrs. Hernandez kicked me out," Charlie answered. "You?"

She shrugged. "Same. Book's employees are tracking down everyone in the city who hasn't done the process. I came out here because it's further away from Book Industries-"

"But there's still a shit ton of them out here?" Johnny finished. 

Tracey sighed. "Yeah. There's no escaping this guy."

"So what's with all the masks?" J-Dog asked.

"That stunt you guys pulled over a month ago at Book Technologies inspired a lot of people!" she explained. "You'd be surprised at how many people are running around the city with masks and harassing Book. Just last week, six people broke into Book Industries to wreck up the place." She raised her sign, which had the words "CLOSE THE BOOK ON BOOK" painted on it in black. "If you've got your masks, you should come protest with us!"

J-Dog glanced at the manager of the motel. She had stopped yelling and was now speaking into her phone. "I don't think that's a good idea," he said.

Tracey looked behind her and swore under her breath. "Shit! She's probably calling Dr. Judy. We have to get everyone out of here!"

"Maybe we should stay and fight," Johnny suggested.

"We can't do that," Tracey said. "He sends way too many for us to fight, and his guards are all armed now. Besides, they seem to be after you guys specifically. They've seen some of your faces, and they'll kill you if they get the chance." She whirled around when three long black cars pulled into the parking lot. "Fuck! You guys better get out of here!"

"We'll go pack our stuff!" Danny said. The guys turned around to go back into the motel room.

"Wait!" Tracey yelled. The guys whirled around to face her.

"Charlie, have you filed your taxes yet?"

Charlie turned and ran back into the motel room. "Sorry, busy packing up! I'll talk to you later!"

His parrot squawked. "Talk to you later!"

The guys went back into the room and shut the door. Funny Man blinked and groggily sat up in bed. "What's happening?"

"We're leaving," Charlie said. He grabbed the car keys off the bedside table and tossed them to Johnny.

Funny pushed the blankets off him and stood up, grimacing at the pain. "Book's guards?"

"Yep." Danny grabbed his nail-studded bat and golden mask off the floor. "There were some protesters outside and the motel manager is a Book supporter."

"Damn it," Funny muttered. He reached for his battle axe that was leaning against the wall, but Charlie snatched it away before he could grab it. "Hey!"

Charlie narrowed his eyes. " _No._ "

"I can fight!" Funny insisted.

Danny sighed. They'd had this debate three times already. "Funny, you've got a bullet in your stomach. You can't fight!"

"I can try!"

He glared at the others, but it was met with four stubborn, disapproving gazes. Three times he'd lost this argument, and now it was a fourth.

He sighed and crossed his arms. "Fine, but I'm still wearing the mask."

Johnny opened the door. "Just get in the car."

They left the room one at a time. J-Dog jumped over the railing and landed on the pavement below. Charlie and his bird followed after him. Funny Man, the stubborn dumbass, went to do the same, but Johnny grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him away. "You're going down the stairs." 

Funny Man sighed and let Johnny drag him towards the stairs. Danny went with them, not wanting Funny Man to feel left out.

Book's security guards had left their vehicles and were trying to apprehend the protesters. Most of the protesters had gotten in their vehicles and driven away, but others had gotten caught in fights with the guards. Johnny saw two guards carrying a guy towards a black car. The guy kicked and squirmed, but he couldn't seem to get free.

Danny hefted his bat and rushed towards the two guards. He reared back and hit one of them over the head. The guard dropped the guy they were carrying, and the other one let go of the guy as well and set their sights on Danny.

"Danny, get in the car!" Charlie yelled. 

"Get in the car!" his parrot repeated.

Danny ducked as one of the guards swung their fist at him. "Don't worry, I got this!" He kicked them in the stomach and they doubled over.

The guy Danny had saved grabbed a lead pipe off the ground and hit the other guard over the head. "Thanks for saving my ass!"

"No problem," Danny replied. "Nice mask by the way!"

The guy reached up and straightened his mask. It looked like one of those comedy/tragedy masks that were common in theatres. "You too. You should probably get out of here now!"

"Right!" Danny turned and ran towards the car, where the others were waiting. Danny hopped into the passenger seat, and Johnny sped out of the parking lot.

"Where are we going?" Danny asked as he shut his door.

"No idea," Johnny replied. He glanced in the rearview mirror. "I think we're gonna have company though!"

Danny twisted around in his seat. One of the black cars had followed them out of the parking lot, and it was now speeding towards them.

Johnny jerked the wheel to the side and the car turned down another street. Danny hit his head against the window as the entire car tilted.

"Buckle up, bitches!" Charlie's parrot screeched as they sped down the street.

"We're gonna have the cops on our asses too at this rate," J-Dog muttered.

"I'm sorry, would _you_ like to drive?" Johnny asked.

Danny heard a loud bang and whipped his head around. One of the guards was leaning out the window of their car with a gun pointed right at them. 

"I hate that they have guns now!" Funny shouted as he quickly fastened his mask behind his head.

"We could get guns," J-Dog suggested. 

The car swerved as they ran a red light and almost collided with another vehicle. Danny watched to see if Book's guards would get hit, but unfortunately, they made it through the intersection unharmed. 

"Think we can lose them?" Danny asked.

Johnny shrugged. "Don't know. Guess we'll find out!"

The guys braced themselves as Johnny turned another sharp corner. Danny heard another bang and watched as a pedestrian collapsed in an explosion of blood.

Danny rolled down the window and stuck his head out. "Hey! Watch where you point that thing!"

Another bullet whizzed past his head. He ducked back into the car and rolled up the window. "They don't seem happy."

Johnny glanced behind them. The black car was still hot on their tail. "Anyone know how to get out of this?"

"We could stop somewhere and fight them!" J-Dog offered.

"That's just gonna get us killed," Charlie said.

"There's no other way we can get them off our ass!" Funny pointed out.

Johnny glanced out the window beside him and saw that the black car was slowly pulling up next to them. He glanced in the mirror. The street behind them was clear. He slammed on the brakes and the black vehicle zoomed past them as their car slowed. J-Dog and Funny Man lurched forward and their heads slammed against the backs of the seats. Johnny jerked the wheel and turned down another street. 

"Ow," J-Dog grumbled. "Dude, warn us next time!"

Charlie shrugged. "You should have buckled up."

Danny twisted in his seat to look behind him at Funny Man. "Funny? You okay?"

Funny held his head in his hands as Johnny sped down the road. All Danny received in response was a strained groan. 

"Charlie, could you buckle him up?" Johnny asked.

"I can do it myself," Funny mumbled.

Charlie glanced out the window. They had gotten onto an open road that led to the highway, and the black car was nowhere in sight. "Think we lost them?"

"I don't know, but we should get away from here as fast as possible," J-Dog said.

"We could go to a hotel this time," Danny offered. "It's more expensive, but they might not look for us there."

None of them had the chance to respond. Just as Danny had finished speaking, another speeding vehicle collided with the side of theirs. The world seemed to turn upside-down as the car flipped over once, then twice, and miraculously landed upright. 

Johnny, feeling very disoriented, lifted his mask off his face. He glanced around the car, hoping that the others had taken Charlie's advice and buckled up before they crashed. Luckily, all of them were strapped to their seats and unharmed. 

Charlie removed his sunglasses and blinked in the sunlight. His eyes grew wide. "Wait, where's Jack?"

Danny lifted his mask and raised an eyebrow. "Jack?"

Johnny heard a muffled squawk under Danny's seat and turned around. Charlie's parrot wriggled out from under it and hopped up onto Charlie's lap. "There you are! You okay?" 

"Your parrot's name is Jack?" J-Dog asked.

Johnny glanced out the window and saw that the car that hit them had parked right at the side of the road. The doors opened and five of Book's security guards stepped out, each one armed with a pistol.

"Guys, can we talk about this later?" Johnny said, pointing to the guards.

The guys scrambled out of the car. Five guards normally wouldn't be a problem for them, but now that they had guns, it would be a little more difficult to take them out without getting hurt. 

They all ducked behind the car. "Come out and we can fix this peacefully!" one of the guards shouted.

Danny lowered his mask back over his face. "What do we do?"

Funny Man gripped his axe in both hands. "We should run out there and beat the shit out of them."

" _You're_ not going anywhere," Johnny said. "You can barely walk as it is!"

Danny sighed. "Johnny, I hate to say it, but I think we need him. I mean, four of us can't take down five guys with guns. Besides, he's been getting better."

Johnny could barely believe what he was hearing. "We're not letting Funny into a fight when he's got a bullet in his stomach!"

"And a concussion," Charlie added.

"Come on out!" one of the guards yelled again. "Or we'll come get you!"

The guys all turned to Johnny. He sighed reluctantly. "Fine. Let's go."

J-Dog straightened and poked his head over the car to look at the guards. "Alright, we're coming out! Don't shoot!"

He and Charlie stood and walked out from behind the car, their hands raised in surrender. Danny, Johnny, and Funny Man watched and waited as the two approached the guards. Funny and Danny waited until they reached the road, then dashed out with their weapons. Johnny vaulted over the ruined car and made a beeline for the guards.

One of them shot wildly in Danny's direction. They missed and the bullet shattered the window of the car. Another guard tried to shoot at Charlie, but Danny hit them with his bat and they went down. J-Dog rushed towards a guard to hit them with his hammer, but they raised their gun and he had to duck as a bullet whizzed past his ear. Johnny tackled them, and another bullet went flying past. Funny Man and Charlie ran for the same guard. They punched Charlie in the face before he could do anything. Funny Man swung at them with his axe, but the guard leaned back and the blade only grazed their chest. 

Johnny  turned to the guard who was shooting at J-Dog. J-Dog was doing a good job of dodging the bullets, but he wasn't landing any hits on the guard, either. Johnny kicked the guard in the stomach and they doubled over. J-Dog ran forward and slammed his hammer over their head.

Funny Man lunged at a guard and swung at them with his axe. The blade buried itself in their chest and he quickly turned his attention to the guard Danny was dealing with. He'd hit them over the head once already, but was now trying to wrestle their gun out of their grip. Funny reared back his axe, but the guard suddenly let go of his gun and shoved Danny away. They whirled around and kicked Funny directly in the stomach. Red-hot pain flared up in Funny's side, and he stumbled backward. Danny regained his senses and cracked his bat over the guard's head as hard as he could. The guard crumpled.

Charlie ducked as the last guard fired over his head, and his parrot (or, Jack, they could call it now) launched itself off his shoulder and attacked the guard's face. The guard dropped their pistol and tried to pry the bird off their face, and J-Dog brought his hammer down on the back of their head. They toppled over, and Jack fluttered back to rest on Charlie's shoulder. 

"Anyone get shot?" J-Dog asked. 

"No, but..." Danny pointed to Funny Man. "I think we've got a bigger problem."

They all turned to Funny. He was leaning against the black car, his axe on the ground. He clutched his side with one hand. Blood dribbled out between his fingers.

"God dammit!" Charlie cursed. "This is why we didn't want you to fight!"

Johnny rushed forward and caught Funny just as he began to fall over. "We have to get him to a hospital."

For once, Funny didn't protest. He just nodded and clung to Johnny with his free hand. 

J-Dog gestured to their car. "I don't think we can get that out of the ditch."

Danny walked up to the black car and glanced in the windows. "The keys are still in the ignition. Let's take this one."

"I call shotgun!" Charlie said.

 

Dr. Judy left the room of her most recent patient and scribbled some things down on her clipboard. Physically, he was responding well to the brain surgery, but he was still insistent on not doing the procedure.

Her phone rang in her pocket, and she quickly grabbed it and pressed it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Dr. Judy!" Councilman Book's voice said. "How is everything going there?"

She hesitated. "It's... going well."

"What's wrong, Judy? You sound troubled."

"It's just..." She paused, wondering if she should continue. "We sent out guards to deal with some protests."

"And?"

"I just don't think we should attack them all like this," Judy said finally. "I mean, maybe we could just try to convince them to do the procedure instead of killing them without giving them a-"

"Judy," Book interrupted. "These people are stubborn. They are afraid of change. They don't want to make the world better. They'd rather stand by and let the world beat them down than try to improve themselves. That's why we have to get rid of them to make room for those that _want_ to change. Do you understand?"

Judy considered his words. "I suppose so," she answered. "But if we're attacking protesters, aren't you worried they're going to get more violent, too? Maybe they'll organize another attack!"

Book chuckled. "Judy, Book Industries has a monopoly over every hospital, police station, and business in the city. Where are they going to find that many people? You can't even buy guns here if you haven't done the process. They have no access to anything that could possibly help them. We have nothing to worry about."

Judy sighed. "Okay. I understand. Can I just update you on the patients later? I still have a lot of work to do."

"Of course. I'll call you after work."

"Thank you." Dr. Judy hung up the phone and shoved it back in her pocket.

 

The guys all piled into Book's car and went back into the city in search of a hospital. Johnny had relinquished his duties as driver to J-Dog and sat in the backseat with Danny and Funny Man. The back of this car was much more spacious than theirs, so Danny slouched in his seat and put his feet up on the back of Charlie's headrest. They had all removed their masks and tossed them in the trunk along with their weapons. 

Funny Man carefully lifted up his shirt to examine the wound. It had only been a large scab before, but now it was open and bleeding. He was pretty sure that kick from the guard had driven the bullet in further. Blood dripped onto the nice leather seats, but he didn't care. After all, it wasn't their vehicle.

Johnny leaned down to glance at the wound and hissed through his teeth. "Oof."

Funny Man snorted. "Yeah. Oof. We got any more painkillers?"

"I put them in the trunk," Charlie answered. 

"I've got weed, though," J-Dog offered.

Johnny shook his head. "He shouldn't take any drugs. It might mess with whatever they use to knock him out when they go to remove the bullet."

J-Dog pulled into the parking lot in front of the emergency room of a hospital. "Let's go."

Johnny helped Funny Man out of the car. Funny hobbled along with one arm draped over Johnny's shoulders, grimacing every time he took a step.

J-Dog held the door open as Johnny helped Funny Man into the building. Charlie and Danny immediately ran up to the reception desk. "Do you have any doctors available?" Charlie demanded.

The receptionist turned to his computer and typed something in. "Yes, we have a few. What's the problem?"

"Our friend was shot about a week ago," Danny explained. "He just got in a fight and we think the bullet went in further."

The receptionist glanced over the desk to see at Funny limping towards him. "Oh dear, that _does_ look serious. However, there are a few questions you'll have to answer before I can refer you to a doctor."

Charlie sighed impatiently. "Like what?"

"Has your friend recently undergone any brain surgery?"

Danny shook his head. "Nope."

"Has he taken any hormones or steroids?"

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "No. Why?"

"Has he gone through any behavioral modification therapy?"

Danny blinked. "What? No. Why is that relevant to-?"

The receptionist stared dead-eyed at Danny and Charlie over the desk. "Would he be willing to?"

The guys all gazed at him as the puzzle pieces clicked into place. "None of us have done Book's process," Johnny growled. "And we're _not_ planning on it."

The receptionist shrugged. "Then I can't help you. If you won't agree to the procedure, there's nothing we can do."

J-Dog glared at him. "That's just cruel! You're denying health care to people who need it just because they won't support the guy who's trying to ruin the city!"

"J-Dog!" Charlie interrupted. He put a hand on J-Dog's shoulder to calm him down. "It's okay! Let's just go."

The guys turned to leave. "It's not okay," Johnny mumbled. "It's horrible and unfair."

Danny took a deep breath. "Yeah, it is. Don't worry. We'll find another place."

 

They didn't find another place.

As it turned out, every single hospital in Los Angeles was run by Book supporters who had all gone through the process. They wouldn't let anyone in unless they had proof that they had gone through the process or was willing to do it after receiving medical attention. Eventually, they had to give up and find a place to stay for the next couple days. They decided to take Danny's earlier suggestion of finding a hotel. It was more expensive and there were less ways to escape, but they were hoping they would be harder to find. It took a long time to find a place that wasn't controlled by Book. The place they found was was pretty fancy, but the prices had been docked so everyone who opposed Book could afford a room.

Danny carried the few grocery bags of things they had as they all walked to their room. The bleeding in Funny Man's side had more or less subsided, but he was much paler than he had been earlier. He'd burned through a few joints on their way to the hotel to help with the pain.

They reached their room and waited as J-Dog struggled to unlock the door. "Fucking key cards," he mumbled.

Charlie glanced at Funny Man, who was still leaning heavily on Johnny. "You holding up okay?"

Funny grit his teeth and nodded. He just wanted to get in the room and go to sleep.

Danny heard footsteps and looked behind him. A lady with glasses was walking down the hall, but she stopped when she saw Funny Man's bloody shirt. "Oh my goodness, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Funny grunted. He definitely wasn't fine, but he didn't want to make anyone else worried. 

"You don't look fine," she observed. "Is that because of Book?"

Johnny hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah."

"What happened?"

"He got shot," Charlie answered as J-Dog continued to struggle with the door. 

"And the bullet's still in?"

Danny nodded, and the lady grinned. "Well, lucky for you, I'm a surgeon. I'll grab my first aid kit. Wait here!" She ran off down the hall.

Charlie reached over J-Dog's shoulder and took the key card. "Let me try." He put the card in the slot, and the lock clicked. He removed the card and pushed the door open.

J-Dog stared at the door as Danny walked in and tossed the grocery bags on the floor. "How?"

"You were being too aggressive with it," Charlie pointed out.

The lady hurried back to them with a first aid kit in her hands. "He should lay down. He probably shouldn't be walking if he's injured."

Johnny nodded. "Okay." He turned his head to look at Funny. "Come on." He helped Funny Man through the door, and Charlie and J-Dog went in after them, followed by the woman.

Funny Man grimaced as he sat down on the edge of one of the beds. "So, are you just gonna cut me open right here?"

"That might be our only option," she said. She set her first aid kit down on the nightstand and opened it. "Shit! Sorry, I have to disinfect my stuff. Hang on." She took her kit and disappeared into the bathroom.

Johnny sat down on the other bed with Danny. "You think we can trust her?" Johnny asked.

Danny considered it for a moment. She definitely didn't seem like any of the mindless Book supporters who had gone through the process. "Yeah. I think she's okay."

Charlie dug through one of the grocery bags and pulled out a package of crackers. "I sure hope so." He took out a cracker and held it up to his shoulder for Jack. "Otherwise, I don't know how we'll get that bullet out."

The woman came back with her kit an set it back on the nightstand. "Sorry, I ran out of painkillers and anesthetics. This is going to be painful."

J-Dog shrugged. "He's got weed."

The lady raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's good, then." She reached into her first aid kit and pulled out a surgical mask. Danny's eyes widened when he saw that it was covered in splotches of multicoloured paint.

"Nice mask," Charlie commented.

The lady shrugged. "I've been to a few protests. That attack you guys led on Book Technologies inspired a lot of people." She put her mask on and pulled a small cloth and a bottle of rubbing alcohol out of the kit. "How did this happen?" she asked as she poured some of the alcohol onto the cloth.

"We broke into Book's mansion about a week ago," J-Dog explained. "He got shot before we could escape."

The lady raised an eyebrow. "And you didn't take him to a hospital earlier?"

Charlie shrugged as he fed Jack another cracker. "He refused to let us."

"We can't afford a medical bill," Funny said wearily. 

She sighed. "It's probably for the best, anyway. Book's taken over almost every business in the city, including hospitals and police stations. Everyone who hasn't done the process or isn't willing to has been fired. Including me." She reached into the kit and pulled out a small scalpel. "I'm going to need you to lift up your shirt."

Funny swallowed nervously at the sight of the small blade, but he carefully lifted up the end of his shirt to expose the wound. The lady carefully dabbed the cloth on it and he hissed through his teeth. "Sorry," she said. "This is going to sting." She swabbed the area around the wound with the cloth and set it down. "Don't move." She picked up the small scalpel.

Funny grit his teeth as she quickly cut right across the wound. She sliced through the middle of her fist incision and set the scalpel down. "Now, I don't have any clamps to hold this open and I don't know where the bullet is, so we're going to have to do this the painful way." She reached back into her kit and pulled out a long pair of tweezers. 

Johnny reached over and placed a reassuring hand on Funny's shoulder. "You okay?"

Funny took a deep breath. "Just fucking peachy."

The lady poised the tweezers over the wound. "You ready?"

Funny nodded. "Yeah. Get it over with."

She held the incisions open with one hand and carefully inserted the tweezers, earning a pained grunt from Funny Man. "Don't move," she reminded him.

Danny rummaged through one of the bags and pulled out a beer. Johnny gave him a confused look, and Danny shrugged as he cracked the bottle open. "What? You think I want to watch this sober?" 

Funny inhaled sharply as the lady poked around with the tweezers. "Sorry!" she said. "If I had an x-ray, this would be easier. If it's lodged in your rib cage, I might not be able to get it out."

J-Dog knelt next to the bed to look at Funny Man. "How you holding up?"

Funny Man barely registered the question. "I am _this_ close to passing out, man," he responded after a couple seconds. "Easily the worst experience of my life."

Funny hissed through his teeth and the lady looked up. "I think I found it. Just..." She twisted the tweezers and pulled them out. Clamped between the metal prongs was a tiny, bloody bullet.

Funny Man let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet." The lady dug a needle and a spool of thread out of the first aid kit. "I still have to sew it up."

Charlie leaned over to look at Funny Man. "You feel better?"

Funny snorted. "No."

"You will once it starts healing," the lady said as she carefully stitched up the wound. "Don't move too much for the next week or so."

"Wasn't planning on it," Funny said.

The lady took a pair of scissors out of the kit and snipped off the excess string. She carefully put a bandage over the wound, along with some medical tape to keep it in place. "Not my best work, but the bandages should hold for the night. I'll leave some gauze here so you can wrap it up tomorrow."

"Thank you," Johnny said as she packed up her stuff. 

"Any way we can repay you?" Danny asked.

The lady stood and shook her head as she took off her surgical mask. "I've done this with a lot of people here." She shoved all of her stuff back into her kit and closed it up. "If you ever need help again, I'm in room 236." She turned and walked to the door.

"She seemed nice," Danny said as soon as she left.

Johnny turned to Funny Man. "Do you need any-?"

He stopped when he noticed that Funny's eyes were already closed. He hadn't even bothered to take off his beanie before falling asleep.

Charlie stood up. "I calls dibs on the bed!"

 

Johnny carefully opened a bottle of beer, trying his best not to make any noise. It was early in the morning, and Funny, Charlie, and J-Dog were still sleeping. J-Dog refused to sleep in the same bed as Charlie again, so Johnny was stuck with Charlie. They left Funny Man in his own bed again, due to the fact that he was still healing. Danny had stayed awake to keep watch for Book's guards. They didn't really need to now that they were in a building full of people who opposed Book, but he insisted. Danny wasn't in the room when Johnny got up. Johnny just assumed he had just gone out to get breakfast.

Johnny sipped at his beer and sat down on the ground. He absently flicked through channels on the TV. He couldn't get back to sleep, and there wasn't a whole lot to do.

He felt a hand slap his shoulder and looked up. Charlie's eyes were half open and he was leaning over the side of the bed. "You okay, man?" he asked quietly.

Johnny shrugged. "Yeah. Why?"

"You don't usually drink at four in the morning," Charlie pointed out.

Johnny glanced at the clock. He hadn't noticed how early it was. "It's been a rough week," he whispered.

"Yeah..." Charlie muttered. He pointed to the mini fridge. "Can you get me one?"

Just as Johnny stood up to grab a beer for Charlie, the door swung open and slammed into the wall. Funny Man bolted upright and fell over the side of his bed with a yelp. J-Dog shot to his feet and grabbed for his hammer, but he grabbed his pillow instead and stood there, ready to strike.

Danny walked through the door, dragging his bat behind him. His mask was pulled down over his face. Johnny's breath caught in his throat when he noticed the blood splattered on the weapon and on Danny' clothes.

Charlie stood up and shoved his snapback on his head. "What happened?"

Jack flew over from his place on the TV stand and settled on Charlie's shoulder. "What happened!"

Danny lifted his mask. "Book's guards are here."

The guys immediately sprang into action. J-Dog snatched his snapback off the nightstand and picked up his hammer. Charlie rummaged through one of the bags and shoved on his sunglasses before taking out the other three masks and tossing them to their owners. Funny caught his mask in one hand and hoisted his axe. Johnny drained the rest of his beer and fastened his mask around his head. Danny turned and went back through the door, and the rest of the guys followed closely behind.

"When did they show up?" Charlie asked, tying his bandanna around his head. 

"About ten minutes ago," Danny answered. "I heard a gunshot, so I went to check it out. Book's probably heard that this is one of the only places that will take in people who oppose him, because there are more guards out there than I can count."

"You think we can take them?" J-Dog asked.

Danny hesitated. "I don't know. There are a lot of people here ready to fight, but there are more guards showing up. Also..." He stopped in front of a room. "I don't think we have a doctor anymore."

The guys stopped to look in the open doorway. The body of a security guard was laying on the bloody carpet, but further into the room was another, smaller body. Johnny spotted a multicoloured surgical mask covering half their face.

J-Dog looked up at the door number. "236," he whispered. "That's the doctor lady."

Charlie clenched his fists and turned away. "Let's go."

They left the room behind and continued down the hall. They had to walk a bit slower because of Funny Man, but he seemed much better than he was the day before. Removing a bullet can do wonders for your health, apparently.

The five of them were absolutely infuriated. This was one of the only places left for people who didn't want to go through Book's process, and Book was trying to destroy it. Just how heartless was this guy?

They turned a corner and made their way down another hallway, glancing around for any of Book's guards. Suddenly, two guards ran up behind the group and lunged at them. The guys whirled around and ducked at the last second. Johnny straightened and body-slammed one of them into the wall. Charlie kneed the other one in the balls and Danny hit them over the head with his bat. 

"Charlie!" a familiar voice yelled. The guys turned around to see Charlie's neighbor, Tracey, strangling another guard with a leather whip down the hall. The guy from the motel with the comedy/tragedy mask ran up and smacked the guard on the head with a lead pipe. Tracey shoved the guard's unconscious body to the ground.

The guys ran up to her. "When did you get here?" she asked.

"Just last night," Johnny answered. 

She gestured to the guy with the lead pipe. "Yeah, us too. We had to bolt right after you saved his ass back at the motel. We've held off the guards for a while, but they've gotten to the higher floors. There are more coming, so we’re heading to the parking lot. You guys should go to the upper floors. They’re gonna need help."

"We're on it," J-Dog said. He shouldered his hammer and the guys took off towards the stairs.

They threw open the door and started up the stairwell. They immediately stopped in their tracks when they heard gunshots. They all hesitated- they didn't want one of them to get shot again. However, if someone was in danger, they had to help. They all exchanged a determined glance and leaped up the steps.

They reached the landing on the fourth floor and stopped. Three of Book's guards stood on the steps in front of them, shooting at something far above them. J-Dog ran towards them and knocked one out with a swing of his hammer. Funny Man kicked one of them in the stomach and swung his axe at their neck. Jack launched himself off Charlie's shoulder and flew directly for the eyes of the last guard. Danny ran up behind them and put his bat under their chin. He grabbed both ends of the weapon and twisted it. A sickening crack echoed off the walls, and the guard fell, their neck turned at an unnatural angle.

Johnny looked up. "Hey! You okay?"

A skinny tattooed guy and a girl with blond hair peeked their heads over the railing to look down at Johnny. "Thanks!" the girl shouted. She had a black and red bandanna covering half her face, and the guy's mask looked like it was made from a disco ball. 

"No problem!" Charlie yelled back.

The two disappeared, and Danny heard their pounding footsteps as they ran up the stairs. He glanced at the door to the fourth floor. "Think those two can handle the upper levels for now?"

Johnny nodded. "Yeah. It couldn't hurt to take a look down here."

The guys approached the door and J-Dog slowly opened it. He glanced around the hallways for any guards, then pushed the door open all the way. "I think we're clear."

Johnny stepped into the hall behind him. "For now."

The guys jumped in surprise when a gunshot ripped through the hallway, followed by an ear-splitting scream. Footsteps pounded towards them and they readied their weapons. Three people in masks rounded a corner and sprinted down the hallway. One of them was splattered with blood, and the three stopped in front of the guys, breathing heavily. 

Charlie lowered his fists and stepped forward. "Hey, you okay?"

One of them nodded, still trying to catch their breath. "Yeah. But Book's guys are back there and they've got guns, and they killed our friend, and-"

They were cut off when another gunshot exploded through the hall and the bullet tore through their head. Their two friends yelped and skittered away, their hands covering their mouths in shock.

Danny put a hand on one of their shoulders and steered them towards the door. "Go! We'll take care of them!"

"But there are too many!" the other one protested as Charlie pushed them after their friend.

"We'll be fine," J-Dog said. "Just go!"

The two of them hesitated, but they finally ran through the door and down the stairs. Charlie looked down the hall and saw one guard standing there, reloading their pistol. Charlie grabbed J-Dog's sleeve and ran to the hallway across from them, just out of the guard's line of fire. The other three sprinted after them.

"How many do you think there are?" Johnny asked as they came to a T in the corridor.

A bullet whizzed past Funny's face and he stopped in his tracks. Two guards stood on either side of them with guns.

J-Dog dodged another bullet and dashed down the hall. "Too many!"

"We should circle around and take them out!" Danny suggested.

Johnny nodded as they approached another T in the hall. "We can split up and cover more ground that way!"

The guys were hesitant to separate, but if there were more people around this floor that needed help, splitting up would be the best way to find them all. Danny and Johnny ran to the right, and J-Dog, Charlie, and Funny Man went down the hall to the left. 

Danny and Johnny glanced through open doors as they ran, trying to see if there were any other people who needed their help. Bodies of guards and citizens alike littered the floors. Danny's heart sank when he noticed that most of them were wearing masks. 

Then a guard stepped out a room right in front of them, their pistol aimed right at Danny's head. Johnny pulled Danny to the side as they fired. The guard shot wildly at them, but Danny ducked and swung his bat at their legs with all his strength. A loud crack resonated off the walls and the guard fell, clutching their knees. Danny hit them once over the head for good measure.

Johnny spotted more guards in the hallway ahead of them. They all scrambled to grab their pistols. A couple guards behind the others were fighting with two guys in masks. Johnny grabbed Danny and pushed him into an open doorway as bullets whizzed through the air. Johnny glanced outside the room and saw the fallen guard's gun on the ground.

Johnny turned to Danny. "Cover me."

Danny's eyes widened when he realized what Johnny was planning. "Have you ever even fired a gun?"

Johnny shrugged. "First time for everything."

Danny sighed and cracked open a beer (okay seriously, where the fuck is he getting these?). "Wish me luck."

He drained the bottle and ran out into the hall. He made a beeline for the guards and miraculously managed to avoid the bullets ricocheting off the walls. He rushed towards one guard, and just as they raised their pistol to his face, Danny slid to his knees and cracked his bat across their ankles. Their legs flew out from under them and they landed directly on their face. He stood up and threw his beer bottle at another guard just before they could shoot.

As Danny distracted the guards, Johnny scooped up the gun and ran out of the room. He turned his attention to the two guards who were beating up the people in masks. He held the gun in both hands, aimed, and pulled the trigger. One guard toppled over in an explosion of blood. The other one whipped their head around in surprise, but Johnny put a bullet in their forehead and they went down.

Danny hit a guard over the head and turned to the two people in masks. "Get downstairs and get out of the building! There are more of Book's guards coming!"

One of them put a hand to their face. Blood leaked through their black bandanna. "Thanks," they mumbled. Their friend put a hand on their back and pushed them down the hall towards the stairs.

Danny kicked a guard in the stomach, and Johnny punched them out cold. Danny rested his bat on his shoulder as he caught his breath. "Nice shooting," he said. "Glad you didn't hit me."

Johnny looked down at the gun in his hands. "Yeah, me too."

He was about to suggest that they keep going, but he stopped when he heard someone yelling. The voice was distant, but it was loud, angry, and every word they shouted seemed to be a swear. It sounded vaguely familiar, but he didn't realize who is was until Danny took off his mask to look at Johnny with wide eyes. "That's Charlie."

Johnny stared down the hallway he thought the voice was coming from. "You think he's okay?"

Danny lowered his mask again. "I don't know. Should we check?"

A distant gunshot exploded through the halls and the voice stopped immediately. Danny and Johnny exchanged a concerned glance before sprinting after the sound.

They ducked past more hallways filled with guards, but there didn't seem to be any people in masks left on this floor. Johnny hated that he suggested they split up- they'd never split up before, so why the _fuck_ did he say they should now? If Charlie had gotten shot because Danny and Johnny weren't there to help, Johnny would never forgive himself. Danny was mostly focused on finding the other guys. He knew Johnny was blaming himself, but they couldn't dwell on that right now.

They turned a corner and skidded to a stop. In front of them were dozens of Book's guards, but that wasn't what caught their attention. Two guards had a hold on J-Dog's arms and were holding him off the ground. His hammer had been abandoned on the floor, and he kicked furiously, trying to shake himself out of the guards' grip. Funny Man seemed dazed. His arms held behind his back by one guard, and the side of his shirt was bloody. His wound must have reopened and bled through the bandages. Two more guards held Charlie by the arms, and Johnny sighed in relief when he saw that he was fine. Charlie was completely still, and there was a smoking bullet hole in the wall close to his face. Charlie's parrot was nowhere to be seen.

"You guys sure are lucky," a familiar voice said from behind all the guards. "You know, if you hadn't split up, we would have gotten all of you at once."

The guards stepped aside. Danny clenched his bat when he saw who was speaking.

Councilman Book.

Dr. Judy walked beside Book as he slowly stepped towards Danny and Johnny. Her hands were stuffed in the pockets of her lab coat instead of scribbling on a clipboard like usual. She kept her gaze fixed on the ground. Book, however, smiled directly at the two guys as if he could still see them with his ruined eyes.

"You know, you two still have a chance to get away," Book pointed out. "I can just take these three and you can be on your way."

"Not gonna happen," Danny growled.

Johnny sneered under his mask and raised his gun so it was pointed at Book's head. "How about you let them go, and maybe we won't kill you." He froze when one of the guards raised their pistol to Charlie's temple.

Book threw back his head and laughed. " _Kill_ me? If you so much as try, we'll kill all of your friends and you along with them." He spread his hands. "But go ahead. Take that risk. Shoot me, strangle me, beat me to a pulp like you have barbarically done to hundreds of my guards. I dare you."

Johnny hesitated. He had the full means to end Book right there, right then. But he took one glance at the gun at Charlie's head, and lowered his own pistol. He couldn't risk Charlie's life like that.

"You know, we were just planning on killing you," Book said, that cruel smile still stretched across his lips. "But considering how annoying you've been to me over the past few weeks, I've decided that you should suffer." His grin seemed to get even wider. "We've got five rooms at Book Industries with your names on them. Our doctors are ready. And I'm sure Dr. Judy would like to observe just how well each of you handle the procedure."

Dr. Judy still didn't look up. Danny and Johnny both stared at Book in a mixture of shock and disgust. "You're not making us do that!" Johnny shouted. "No fucking way!"

Book shrugged. "I'm afraid you have no choice."

Danny shook his head and stepped back, appalled that Book would force them to go through the procedure and turn them into mindless zombies. He was about to fire a few curses at Book as well, but he stopped when he noticed something moving on the floor behind Book. It was small, black, and feathery. With a start, he realized that it was Jack, Charlie's bird. Danny glanced beside him at Johnny, who gave him an almost imperceptible nod.

"We're never going to let you do that," Danny said. He watched as Jack lowered himself to the ground and spread his wings. Just another second...

"And how are going to stop us?" Book asked. 

Jack launched himself off the ground with a furious screech. Book whirled around, his cocky grin morphing into a look of pure terror. Danny ran forward and aimed his bat at Book's head. A guard rushed forward at the last second and Danny hit them instead. Jack latched onto the person holding the gun to Charlie's head and they fired wildly, accidentally shooting one of the guards holding J-Dog. J-Dog wriggled out of the grasp of the other guard and snatched up his hammer. He swung it at the guard who had Funny Man. Funny stumbled away from them and grabbed his axe off the ground. Johnny kicked a random guard and shot directly into their temple with his pistol.

Charlie elbowed the other guard who was holding him. They clutched at their now bleeding nose and Charlie punched them in the face. They fell to the ground, and Jack fluttered over and settled on Charlie's shoulder. "Good bird," he said, giving Jack a quick scratch on the head. 

Danny glanced around wildly. "Where's Book?"

Johnny turned and saw Book running down the hall, Judy holding his sleeve and leading him towards the elevators. "Got him!" He raised his gun and fired. Book stumbled and blood exploded from his leg, and Johnny cursed under his breath. "We have to go after him!"

Funny Man drove his axe into the chest of another guard. "I can't run! I'll stay here and deal with these fuckers!"

"Danny and I can stay with Funny!" J-Dog shouted as he kicked a guard in the stomach. 

Johnny and Charlie turned and sprinted down the hall. They skidded around a corner and saw Book hobbling towards the elevator doors, leaning heavily on Dr. Judy. Judy looked behind them and tried to move faster. As they got closer, Charlie reared back his fist to punch Book.

Then another gunshot resonated through the hall. Pain exploded through Charlie's shoulder. He collapsed immediately, and Johnny slowed to a stop. "Charlie? Are you-?"

He was interrupted when someone tackled him at the waist. The gun flew out of his hands. He struggled to free himself from the person's grip.

Two guards walked up to Charlie and hauled him to his feet. His shoulder screamed in protest when they grabbed his arm. Johnny looked up to see Book and Dr. Judy, now standing right in front of them. Book smiled. "You really thought you could get away?"

Jack squawked and rocketed towards Book. Another guard snatched him out of the air and threw him at the wall. Jack opened his wings, but he hit the wall headfirst and fell to the ground.

Despite the pain, Charlie struggled to free himself. This wasn't happening. He wasn't going to become a mindless zombie like everyone else in Los Angeles. He _refused_ to let it happen!

"Leave the other," Book said. "Dealing with two of them at once might be annoying."

He and Judy turned around and walked to the elevator. Johnny grit his teeth and desperately tried to shove the guard off of him, but the guard raised their fist and hit Johnny in the back of the head. Johnny blinked, a little dazed, but they hit him again and his vision went blurry. He heard Charlie yell his name before they hit him again and he blacked out.

 

Johnny groggily sat up and pried his mask off his face. He looked around. J-Dog had grabbed some towels from a room and was trying to stop the bleeding in Funny's side. Funny was sitting on the ground, his axe and mask on the floor next to him. He grimaced every time J-Dog applied too much pressure to the wound. Danny sat on the floor next to Johnny, holding something in his lap. Johnny quickly realized that it was Jack.

"Where's Charlie?" Johnny asked.

Danny looked up at Johnny. His eyes were red, and Johnny couldn't tell if he'd been crying or smoking. Maybe both. His face told Johnny the answer to his question, and Johnny tried to tune out his voice as he said it.

"He's gone."


End file.
